sat’day riddymz

American Empire Building Strategy in the Age of Obama

Excellent article by STRATFOR Global Intelligence: “Obama and the U.S. Strategy of Buying Time”.  

Undercover job hunters reveal huge race bias in Britain’s workplaces

Civil servants created false identities to send CVs to hundreds of employers in sting to uncover discrimination.

Hat tip to Angela Shaw who sent me this article from the guardian.co.uk.

A government sting operation targeting hundreds of employers across Britain has uncovered widespread racial discrimination against workers with African and Asian names.

Researchers sent nearly 3,000 job applications under false identities in an attempt to discover if employers were discriminating against jobseekers with foreign names. Using names recognisably from three different communities – Nazia Mahmood, Mariam Namagembe and Alison Taylor – false identities were created with similar experience and qualifications. Every false applicant had British education and work histories.

They found that an applicant who appeared to be white would send nine applications before receiving a positive response of either an invitation to an interview or an encouraging telephone call. Minority candidates with the same qualifications and experience had to send 16 applications before receiving a similar response.

Read the full article on the Guradian website.

sat’day riddymz

“November is Reparations Education Month”‏ from Brotha Pruitt

Commentary for submission by Brother Pruitt. 

Greetings Family,

As the reparations conversation and claim seems to have lost ground since Obama came to office, the time has come for the masses of Black people to come together to make a mighty demand for reparations! This call can not come from any group or individual currently in the reparations arena. The masses of blacks need to form a power base that should include reparations groups and activists, but we need to have a new group of Indigenous African-Americans working as the leading group pushing for reparations.

There are a number of reasons that brings us to the conclusion that says N’COBRA needs another group to work not over, or under, but side by side, as the leading groups pushing for Indigenous African-American Reparations. We are proposing the RULA become that group based on our two position papers, The Five Phase Plan and the Reparations Proclamation. Please read both docs and respond asap. You can get these docs by replying to this email, and simply requesting both rep docs in the body of the reply.

We will talk about Indigenous African-American Reparations every Wednesday at 6 PM EST, beginning next week 11-4-09. Yes November is Reparations Education Month. You can join us at http://www.blogtalkradio.com/Black-Reparations to post and answer blogs or call in at 347-850-8160 to listen and share your thoughts. If you go to the site you can listen to 3 previous shows to get an idea of reparations and the strategy our people can use to win reparations. Reparations should be taught and understood as a healing source for the races not a divisive issue. I am going to make sure this change occurs.

The program is only for one hour so please make questions and comments accordingly. We will spend most of the time talking about the need to initiate national Racism and Reparations Conferences to ease racial tensions and facilitate racial harmony. And advantages of using the Five Phase Plan and the Reparations Proclamation so that blacks, whites and jews can work together, to help repair damage done to descendants of slaves.

Brotha Pruitt
Reparations Leader and Chairman
Committee for African-American Reparations (CAAR) CA
Reparations Union Lobbying Association (RULA) NC

In memory of our Ancestors

www.divineblacktruth.org     

“Obama’s love for Tanzania in lieu of Kenya is goof up” ‏by Nkwazi N. Mhango

By booting Kenya down and preferring Tanzania, the US proved to be as goofy as divorcing a gator to end up in bed with a croc! This is the second time the US has slammed a door on Kenya. It’s sad that even Tanzania imbibed this scornful humiliation as a big deal. But by avoiding Kenya is the world leader helping it to solve its problems?

To add insult to injury, the US denied visas to some Kenyan top corrupt official as it turned a blind eye to Tanzania’s same bêtes noix. Tanzania was elated to step in. Sadly, it’s become a norm for African rulers to depend on rich countries to prove their “manhood and worthiness”. Had it not been for their malady of sitting on their heads, African rulers do not need such cheap exculpation.

Tanzania recently shone at the 64th General assembly session. Thanks to this serendipity, its president Jakaya Kikwete, was seen happily doing things that were expected of Kenya’s PM Raila Odinga, thanks to what observers termed as US’s punishment to corrupt Kenyan current regime under Mwai Kibaki. What’s more, what’s the rationale in this if Tanzania is filthier than Kenya? This take shocked and dismayed many that know how corrupt Tanzania currently is. For those in the know, comparably, Kenya is even better than Tanzania. Thanks to its vibrant economy.

This turn was visibly seen on PM Oginga’s impromptu removal from the list of dignitaries that were to attend luncheon with US president Barrack Obama. As per the media, Kikwete was asked by Obama to initiate discussion at this luncheon, the chance that was thought would be taken by Kenya . In his reciprocation, Machiavellian Kikwete showered the US with praises for its generosity thanks to Tanzania being the recipient of a five-year development package of $ 700 million, through the “Millennium Challenge” programme.  But this huge sum of money did nothing substantially. Refer to Tanzania ’s poor performance economically and developmentally. Its MDG performance is spooky and poor altogether. The government of Tanzania is currently laden with scandals involving millions of dollars.

Kikwete scored higher especially when he reiterated Tanzania ’s commitment to peace in Africa, thanks to sending peacekeeping troops Darfur. The irony though is, the same supports Sudanese dictator Omar Hassan el Bashir in his useless attempts to avert being submitted to The Hague to answer chargers related with crimes against humanity he committed in Darfur! 

Recently the media in Tanzania published the report by the National Statistic Bureau (NSB) showing that under Kikwete, the nation is in economic hardship thanks to inflation hitting at 12.1 compared to single digit under former President Benjamin Mkapa, who’s currently facing many scandal allegations including his inner sanctum and relations. However, this contradicts the prediction and projection by the London-based Economist magazine which ranked it the ninth-fastest growing economy behind China but ahead of India this year. Yet still there are many doubts. How can the regime with fiscal indiscipline and nose-length policy enhance this growth?

Despite this rosy picture, I dare say, corruption is hugely surging compared to Mkapa’s era, in spite of siring the currently surfacing scandals. What tarnishes Tanzania ’s image even a lot more is the fact that most of the scandals already reported involve top officials of the current regime… Kikwete included. And this has made it harder for him to take on corruption or keep tabs on his friends and accomplices save for a few make-believe cases dragging legs before the court. This latency gave Kikwete a name of “Msanii” or “a liar” or “a conman”. So this second-hand recognition is a big boost for embattled Kikwete come next elections. Pro-government media are now awash with photos showing him with various American top dogs.

We all know Kenya’s image was tarnished by post-poll, rumpus-cum-bloodbath, that culminated in tribal crashes that left many innocent Kenyans dead.  But looking at the same, Tanzania can not escape. Currently, albinos are killed indiscriminately and the government does not arrest this accordingly. In Pemba, many people are brutalized and their properties vandalized by government agents thanks to their opposition to a doctored voter’s registry.

By and large, what tantalizes even more is the fact that the US did urge Kenya to sack its Chief Justice Evans Gicheru and Attorney General Amos Wako, whilst Tanzania has a more corrupt AG, Johnson Mwanyika and head of the anti-corruption body: Prevention and Combating of Corruption Bureau (PCCB), Edward Hosea. The duo is alleged to have benefitted from British connected radar and presidential jet scandals among others.

Whilst Kenyan president Mwai Kibaki is openly known to have stolen his presidency, Kikwete as well, faces the same thanks to robbing the Central Bank under External Payment arrears Account (EPA), to raise money for bribing voters who ultimately voted for him thanks to this inducement.

Generally speaking, there’s no clean government in the duo. Kibaki sheathed his predecessor just like Kikwete is doing. The difference is Daniel arap Moi caused much deeper hole on Kenya ’s economy than Mkapa did to Tanzania’s. But in principle, corruption is corruption. It robs the common man and woman their rights to wellbeing and development.

Regarding the projection by the Economist magazine, this is a hoax rich countries use to fool poor countries. The World Bank used to do this during the cold war. When things turned out to be different, it used to blame failure on poor countries. Refer to many economic adjustments and structural what not that did not bear any fruits.

All in all, US’s shying away from Kenya and preferring Tanzania in lieu, is but a goofy and vexatious step. The good thing is this time, Kenya did not complain but soldiered on.

Though all was well for Kikwete, I don’t know how he took the words of President Obama when he urged African rulers to stamp corruption out so as to attract sound investment. Though Tanzania can superficially be seen as a hub for international investment, in the core, it is but rotten. For the touted investments have nary helped the common man, save to create a blink future for him. Refer to oft-reported killings of innocent mineral diggers in Mererani Arusha and environmental degradation among other.

Nkwazi Mhango is a Tanzanian living in Canada. He writes regularly for “The African Executive” and also has a blog entitled “Free Thinking Unabii”. He is a regular contributor to AfroSpear.

sat’day riddymz

“Guinea tyrant must face charges” ‏by Nkwazi N. Mhango

In its efforts to return the genie back into the bottle, EU decided to come forth and stand to be counted.

Recent heroic and encouraging remarks by EU’s development Chief, Karel de Gucht sound cool and cannot pass without being enlivened. He said that Guinea head of Military junta, Cpt. Moussa Dadis Camara, who took power on the wake of the death of Guinea’s dictator Lasane Konte, be arraigned in connection with crimes against humanity.

If anything, shall this be effectuated, it is but good and calculated move especially at the time after toothless and goofy AU has been dragging its feet since the brigands illegally came to power. The world, with fresh memories, still remembers horrendous killings of innocent 157 protestors in the streets of Conakry on September 28.

This should not be erroneously confused by interfering internal affairs or colonialism or tutoring Africa, as African potentates normally claim when either they are, or one of them is cornered.

Gucht did not languish in diplomatic jargon. He termed the bone-chilling killings as an act of brutality never seen before. He was quoted as thus: “This is a crime against humanity. It is a crime against the citizens of Guinea. In law and morality these killings were indeed a crime against humanity perpetrated by the man calling himself a leader of the people.”

Apart from being the very right thing to do, this overture is but litmus test on the seriousness of international community. By arraigning Camara, justice will be served and the clear signal will be dispatched for all winos dreaming about taking power to abuse. It will make more sense than ever. How can, for example, the same international community squeezes Kenyan authority to bring the perpetrators of post-poll killings to book and turn a blind eye to this barbarism?

For the stint Camara has just been in power, he goes down annals of history as one of the modern mad men of Africa . His erratic behaviour has chagrined very many… if not all. More often than not, Camara has proved to be a mad man and an accident in the office of the president.

By taking the bull by horn, EU has set a precedent that if upheld, may balk military regimes in Africa for once and for all. All those day dreaming to come in and plunder will have to rethink their take. When he took power, without being forced, Camara told the world that he’d pave the way to democracy. He said: “We are patriots, not hungry for power. We don’t intend to stay in power forever.”

But as days went by, Camara proved to be even more a chameleon and megalomaniac. Contrary to his cross-gained vows of returning Guinea to democratic path, he was quoted as saying: “I have nothing more to say, except that I might or might not stand. No-one can stop me.” When he said this and his true face revealed, people’s power tried to stop him. They did not want to let him continue with his megalomania. The results were surreal. Hundreds were butchered on the bloody daylight. After the massacre, once again Camara proved to be behind all machinations. He was quoted saying that if he is not allowed to stand for presidency another dam honcho will take over!  Gosh! All these are but a bit more of puerile lies and rubbishes. And mark my words once more, much is to come after the tyrant is squeezed even more.

To jump a smoking gun, Camara was quoted contradicting himself as saying that he was a prisoner of his own army especially those that ordered the shooting. But by all implications, Camara is the one that ordered the killings. He prior said that nobody would stop him from running for presidency. It is childish to say he was a prisoner. France knew his tricks. It was the first country to propose that the tyrant be arraigned. Now that EU has stepped in, surely the genie may be returned to the bottle. Nobody knows. How can the head of the junta become a prisoner of his own army!

And mark my words. This time, the lame duck AU won’t step in or bleep to back the tyrant. Its mess of supporting Sudanese butcher, Omar Hassan Bashir is enough.

Being rabid, if Camara like a serpent is not conked, he is likely to become suicidal so as to commit even graver crimes against humanity. All maniacs Africa has witnessed in Idi Amin, Mobutu Sese Seko, Sani Abacha, Jean-Bedel Bokassa, Samuel Doe, Charles Taylor, Robert Mugabe, Yahya Jammeh, Fodday Saybana Sankor, Jonas Savimbi, and what not started this way.

Were he not a maniac, he had no reason to spoil his coup that was termed as bloodless. Now that his barbarism has turned his bloodless coup into a bloodbath sort of stuff! What else is he asking for?

The best gift-cum-aid the international community could offer Guinea is to pressurize this tyrant and his cabal of killers to step down, so that democratically elected government can come in. Why was it possible to disarm and thwart Charles Taylor, who was a bit smarter than this stinking yokel? Good news is that ICC has already zeroed in to see if charges be laid.

Though AU has its wing of Human Rights, the fact of the matter is: it is as useless as AU itself! Thus, Human Rights activists wherever they are must stand together and support this bold move by EU with regards to prosecuting Camara and his cabal of killers in uniform. Guinea tyrant must face charges resulting from committing crimes against humanity. And this must be done while the injuries are still fresh in the minds of the world.

Seriously, time for bringing Camara to book is now… just now.

Nkwazi Mhango is a Tanzanian living in Canada. He writes regularly for “The African Executive” and also has a blog entitled “Free Thinking Unabii”. He is a regular contributor to AfroSpear.